The present invention relates to floor maintenance equipment and more particularly to floor maintenance equipment commonly identified as scrubbing machines.
Many improvements in scrubbing machines have been made over the years. Not too many years ago, scrubbing of industrial floors was carried out by hand, utilizing rope-like mops to apply scrub water to floors. Mops were used to agitate the scrub water until dirt and grime were loosened and removed. The scrub water was then picked up again using the mop and redeposited in a scrub bucket.
Automated scrubbing machines were later developed in which water was automatically deposited on the floor surface, agitated by rotating brushes to loosen the diret and soilage and then picked up utilizing a vacuum squeegee. At first, scrubbing solution was merely deposited on the floor, worked and picked up with only a single usage of the scrubbing solution. Subsequently, it was found that a certain amount of recirculation of the scrubbing solution could be made thus extending the surface area which could be scrubbed utilizing a single tank of scrubbing solution. Many important refinements have been made since that time. For example, systems are now provided in which chemicals remove suspended matter from the scrubbing solution during recirculation thereby further extending the running time.